MAKEUP: Makeup artist Diane Kendal played into Wu’s inspiration—the work of contemporary artist KAWS and pop art from the fifties and nineties—with a simple burst of vibrant red on the lips. “The face is luminous, with one big pop of color,” she said. As models from Arizona Muse to Karlie Kloss scooted up for approval, Kendal responded with an eager thumbs-up or simply mouthed the word “beautiful.”

THE HAIR: “It’s a three-in-one,” Odile Gilbert said of the multifaceted style—a lift in the front, several twists, and a whole lot of feathers—she was busy creating. “Very nineties” was how she described the resulting graphic mix of bobby pins (intentionally visible in the back) and sleek black feathers. “Something old, something new—like getting married. But it’s not just romantic, it’s strong.”

THE SKIN: With so many models arriving with full faces of makeup from their previous show, Riley was on hand to ensure fresh complexions before they dove into yet another makeup session. To clean and prep skin, she mixed cleanser—her Ceramic Slip or Charisma Crème, depending on each model’s needs—with the lactic acid–rich Good Genes treatment, followed by her Skin Adrenaline to reduce any redness and irritation.

THE TOOLS:

ON SKIN: Where needed, Kendal dabbed M.A.C Studio Finish concealer and smoothed over with Blot Powder. She used Powder Blush in Cubic (a muted, satin pink shade) on the lower apple of the cheeks and lightly swept a mixture with the brand’s Iridescent Powder in Silver Dusk over cheekbones and the bridge of the nose.

ON EYES: With a fine precision brush (M.A.C #210), Kendal traced the thinnest line of M.A.C Fluidline in Blacktrack just above the upper lashes, skipping mascara altogether. As a final touch, she smudged a sheer layer of M.A.C’s multipurpose Gloss Texture over lids right before the models took the stage.

ON LIPS: Outlining with M.A.C. Pencil in Redd allowed Kendal to paint a full mouth with the rich, red-orange Scarlet Ibis lipstick. “There’s not much shine, but it’s definitely moisturizing—which is important for such a rich color, so it doesn’t crack and fade,” she said. For extra intensity, she added M.A.C’s multitasking Pigment in Neo Orange on top.

ON HAIR: Gilbert began with the front of the head, combing the hair upward and back into a subtle lift just above the forehead. Then, gently tugging on small sections of hair, she generously coated strands in Kérastase Lotion Densitive “to give texture” and twisted the pieces up into messy fixtures on the back of the head, securing them with several bobby pins. Between every other pin placement came a gust of Kérastase Double Force Hairspray. “Now the feathers!” she called out to one of her team members, who quickly appeared carrying a handful of needle-like jet-black plumes. Gilbert plucked several at a time, pinning them every which way on the back of the model’s head.

ON NAILS: Lead manicurist Renee Meyers brought back an old favorite that was an ideal complement to the powerfully red lip: OPI’s Monsooner or Later polish. Toes stayed neutral with several coats of Samoan Sand.

Angels In America—And Backstage At The Row
September 10, 2011 10:46 am

A lot of designers are just starting to get on the skincare tip, inviting complexion-saving experts backstage to join their hair and makeup teams, but Tom Pecheux has always been a firm believer in a thoroughly cleansed, toned, and moisturized base. The Estée Lauder creative makeup director brings a selection of the beauty giant’s face salves with him wherever he goes. “You can see the difference,” he said yesterday morning at The Row, where he was layering the brand’s Idealist Even Skintone Illuminator and Idealist Pore Minimizing Skin Refinisher with its DayWear Plus Multi Protection Anti-Oxidant Crème for a dewy, refined canvas. Proper skin prep was particularly important for the bare-faced beauty directive Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen gave to Pecheux, referencing angels. “It reminds me of a Peter Lindbergh woman—slightly fresh, but a little moody,” Pecheux said of the luminous skin he created using a new Estée Lauder transparent liquid foundation and its new-for-Spring limited-edition Gelée Bronzer, which he brushed on in vertical swipes, rather than horizontally for contour, to “catch the volume of the cheekbone.”

“There’s a gentle power to it,” Pecheux surmised. “The only thing you can see is a strong eyebrow,” which he embellished with Lauder’s Sumptuous Extreme Bold Volume Mascara in either black or brown. Lids remained bare, but lashes were treated to a signature Pecheux trick, in which he applies black mascara at the roots to top lashes only and reserves brown pigment for the bottom. “All black is too dense,” he pointed out, before moisturizing lips with Homeoplasmine and topping them with Estée Lauder’s Pure Color Long Lasting Lipstick in Beige, a creamy nude.

Hairstylist Odile Gilbert received the same divine inspiration from the Olsens, which led her to a textural updo. “It’s a small head, a bit like an old statue of angels̶not Victoria’s Secret angels,” Gilbert clarified. Prepping strands with Kérastase Volumactiv Conditioning Mousse and its Mousse Substantive for guts and density, Gilbert sprayed on copious amounts of its Double Force Hairspray for a matte effect. Then, taking random sections, she twisted and braided the lengths, pinning them up onto themselves to create a concentrated mass of coils. “Everything is round—like the head and the earth,” she philosophized.
—Celia EllenbergPhoto: Courtesy of Estee Lauder

THE CREDITS:
Makeup, Charlotte Willer for Maybelline New York
Hair, Neil Moodie for Bumble and Bumble

THE LOOK:

THE MAKEUP: “Supersimple,” said Charlotte Willer, satisfied with the matte skin and subtle hints of rouge that she had dabbed on model Iris Egber's cheeks and temples.
The artist drew inspiration from a familiar scenario: A girl returns from a run, jumps in the shower, and throws on a perfect BCBG dress. Effortless but still beautiful. “She’s ready to go,” said Willer.
THE HAIR: “The hair’s drying naturally,” said a calm Neil Moodie as the models lined up for their run-through. Like Willer, he envisioned the BCBG girl exuding a “sporty athleticism,” along with a bit of a 1920s feel. “I picture her coming out of the ocean,” he said of the slicked-back hair, which appeared sleek on top, soft and full at the ends. It was this juxtaposition that mirrored the play of textures in the collection: jeweled elements mixed in with sheer, fluid chiffons.
THE TOOLS:

ON EYES: Eyes were practically bare—no liner, shadow, or mascara—except for the sheer smudge of Maybelline’s brand-new Baby Lips Lip Balm that Willer applied on the lids “to catch the light.”

ON LIPS: A dab of the multitasking Baby Lips balm to moisten and soften.

ON HAIR: Moodie wanted the hair to appear as though it was “drying in the sun,” which meant no blow-drying. Instead, several spritzes of Bumble and Bumble Prep spray and Thickening Hairspray throughout did the trick. He back-combed the top and sculpted it with Bumble and Bumble BbGel to maintain the wet look.

MAKEUP: If last season’s fur-trimmed ski bunny was primed for the slopes of Aspen, spring’s new Alexander Wang girl likes her sport with a side of street. “You could say there’s a little more strength to the face this time around,” said makeup artist Diane Kendal of the “raw skin” and worn down black liner she created backstage.

HAIR: “What’s chicer than wearing wet hair out the door with really amazing clothes?” said Guido Palau whose long, damp waves gave models the impression of having absentmindedly raked a comb through their hair before throwing on a laser-cut petrol blue bomber and pedaling a bike down the street.

NAILS: “It’s strong yet minimalist,” said Jin Soon Choi of the soft, semi-sheer white polish. The shade, one of three Wang created in collaboration with Sally Hansen for spring, was matched to a swatch of fabric from the collection.

THE TOOLS:

MAKEUP:
ON SKIN: Kendal prepped the face with M.A.C. Studio Moisture Cream to give it a slight sheen, then dabbed on Studio Finish Concealer only where needed. “That’s it. No blush, no lip. Just skin,” she said.

ON EYES: To create what Kendal laughingly called a rim of "seepy" slept-in liner, she rimmed the inner lids with a black pencil (M.A.C. Eye Kohl in Smolder)—then promptly removed it using a dab of moisturizer and a Q-tip. “It creates an almost lived-in, see-through quality, a residue around the eye,” said Kendal, who then relined the upper lashes with a smudgeable cream formula (M.A.C. Pro Creme Liner in Black) for more impact.

HAIR: Palau created the illusion of wet, textured waves using handfuls of Redken Full Frame Protective Volumizing Mousse and a Sultra curling iron. “You don’t want it to look stick straight and lank,” he said of pressing a slight bit of bend into the hair for more texture.

ON NAILS: Alexander Wang for Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Parchment (due out in April 2012). The milky-colored lacquer is one of three shades created (and named) by the designer in collaboration with the beauty brand. “They were matched to swatches of fabric from the collection,” said Choi, who also had bottles of Oxblood (a dark burgundy) and Petrol (an inky blue black) on hand for show.

THE LOOK:
MAKEUP: “I’ve got to keep powdering the girls or everything’s going to melt off!” makeup artist Gucci Westman said of the monochromatic peach, chocolate, and terra-cotta powders she swirled together backstage, where soaring temperatures had models frantically fanning themselves. “There’s a healthy, surfer-girl feeling,” she added. “With the all the strong shades of teal, orange, and yellow in the collection, we didn’t want to complicate the face.”

HAIR: “It’s an easy, modern take on the new hippie,” said Guido Palau, who flattened models’ loose, lived-in waves into an impromptu ponytail using a slim band of fabric that fastened around the neck. “Don’t worry, it’s Velcro—so there won’t be any strangulations during the show,” he said wryly. Before models stepped onto the runway, he fixed sportif-chic goggles over the crown of the head, as if the girls had just jumped off their motorbikes and pushed them out of their eyes.

NAILS: “No more greige!” said Jin Soon Choi, referring to the mushroom-toned gray-brown shades that have been so popular in recent seasons. “This is a light, translucent, natural gray,” she added, waving a bottle of the cool, dove-colored neutral in the air for emphasis.

THE TOOLS:

MAKEUP:ON SKIN: To create the perfect all-over, sun-kissed glow, Westman blended tones of Revlon Tawny Peach Blush and Powder Bronzer together before dusting them onto the cheeks, forehead, and nose with a brush.

ON EYES: She sculpted the eyes with a soft brown powder (Revlon 16H Eye Shadow in Addictive). For quiet definition, she finished by working a chocolate-colored pencil (Revlon Luxurious Color Eyeliner in Sueded Brown) into the lash-line.

The look was bright backstage at Richard Chai Love, where models were given one of four color-infused looks and lived-in hair. James Kaliardos, for MAC Cosmetics, left skin untouched and brushed eyebrows upward, so that whichever hue — orange, pink, purple or blue — used on lids and lips would “pop. It’s Harajuku girl meets Venice Beach,” said Kaliardos. “It’s bright. It’s fresh.” Kaliardos used either MAC Orange Chroma line or Process Magenta Chroma line on eyes and Hi-Def Cyan Pencil and Paint Stick in High Def Cyan on lips. To create the velvety purple pouts, Kaliardos blended Hi Def Cyan pencil and Violetta lipstick, which left a dewy, pigmented finish. Lashes were left without mascara, and no undereye pencil was used to keep the feeling young and upbeat.

Hair, led by Tippi Shorter for Avon Advance Techniques, was clean but not perfectly styled. “This season’s collection is explosion of texture and color, and the hair matches that feeling,” said Shorter. Shorter started by smoothing Avon Advance Techniques 3D Rescue throughout dry hair to repair damage and seal ends. After parting hair deeply on the side, Shorter swept strands back into a low ponytail, which she secured with a small bungee cord. “The ponytail is disheveled and lived-in at the top, with a sleek, shiny bottom half,” said Shorter, who used Volumizing Spray Gel and a melon-sized balloon to “rough up” the look. “We wanted the front to look very piecey, very imperfect,” said Shorter.

HAIR:"We love the black hair. We love the kohl. And we love that whole exotic element," said Danilo, lead hairstylist for Pantene, on the collection's muse. "But we really needed to bring it to today and make it young and cool."

He used Pantene Beautiful Lengths Smoothing Balm to slick the models hair into a high ponytail and secured it with hooked elastics. Next, Danilo placed a drawstring ponytail extension on top and pulled natural locks through. He twisted all of the hair into a knot, allowing it to fall onto itself. He roughed it up by releasing a few pieces, but added a touch of softness with face-framing pieces. To finish, the stylist spritz on Pantene Medium-Thick Hairspray for a harder hold.

MAKEUP: Makeup artist Charlotte Willer for Maybelline started by evening out the girls' complexion with Fit Me Foundation and Pressed Powder. Then she created an edgy, angular eye look using loads of mascara, black liner and gray shadow from the Maybelline Pink Persuasion Eye Studio Color Plush palette. Willer brought warmth to the face with Maybelline Blush in Deep Rose Pink and Color Sensational Pop Sticks lip color.

NAILS: Essie celebrity manicurist Elle enhanced models' natural nails with two coats of Bobbing for Bubbles (available Winter 2012), a creamy slate gray-blue shade that paired well with the pastels and patterns found in Gwen Stefani's spring collection.

MAKEUP: “There are a lot of bright prints in the collection, but also a bit of a ’60s feeling,” says makeup artist Tom Pecheux of the hazy violet eyes, flushed cheeks, and rosy-nude lips he created backstage. “We just wanted the girls to look cool, young, and fresh.”

HAIR: “Bad hair and bad girls from very rich families,” said hairstylist Eugene Souleiman with a devilish laugh. “Julie Christie with a dash of Courtney Love thrown in.” That translated to loose, rumpled waves shot through with worn-in streaks of lavender, orange, and pink.

THE TOOLS:

ON EYES: Pecheux created soft, Twiggy-like contours around the eyes using blended down shades of plum (M.A.C. India Ink shadow) and burgundy (M.A.C. Fig 1 shadow) pigment in the crease, then traced the lower lashes with a neat eggplant-colored line (M.A.C. Chromagraphic pencil in Rich Purple). “It’s powerful but pastel,” he said.

ON CHEEKS: To create the look of a girlish flush, he swept sheer shades of apricot (M.A.C. Peaches) and coral (Fleur Power) across cheeks.

ON LIPS: “It’s a soft rosy-nude cream,” said Pecheux, who dabbed the lip color (M.A.C. Innocence, Beware!) down to a stain.

HAIR: Souleiman’s cool bedhead—created by blowing the hair smooth with Wella Perfect Setting spray and then dousing it with the company’s texturizing Ocean Spritz—was uptown come undone. Before sending models off to first looks, he clipped in haute punk hair extensions (dyed by New York colorist Aura Friedman in advance of the show) just along the hairline for a single hit of face-framing color.

I love what James Kaliardos does on the runway.. his way with colors is fantastic and it's a shame not many designers are willing to explore that, it's probably one of the fortes of New York Fashion Week.. that they do get a little more playful (not necessarily experimental) with makeup.

Also a pleasure to see Odile's work, I knew someone amazing had to be behind the hair at Jason Wu. We really need a Runway Hair S/S 12 thread!! do we have one? does someone want to do the honors?

Thanks for such complete coverage, flyme2themoon. I'll try to live up to your standards if I bring something this season. :p

To execute what she calls a "Russia Flush", Garland applies a creamy apricot hue on the cheeks, swirling it out towards the ears. In the dead center of the color, she added a pop of mango cream blush to create a two-tone effect. "I think a fluffy brush is the best tool to use", she notes. "It's fast and gets the job done".

According to Garland it's easy for girls on the go to get the hot-for-spring dewy complexion. "Simply start with a matte base and add iridescent highlighter or a [regular] moisturizer to your cheekbones", she says. "It will give you a glow".

For Betsey Johnson’s alluring spring 2012 collection — which celebrated the female form — lead hairstylist Peter Gray for Cutler/Redken created a glamorous side-swept do. “[Betsey and I] talked again and again about setting the hair,” he said. “It’s hair for sexy ladies. Very glamorous.” With the long blonde locks of Jerry Hall as inspiration, Gray first massaged hair with Redken Full Frame 07 Protective Volumizing Mousse for a foundation before setting hair in curlers. When dried, he then loosely combed out the curls, pulled hair to one side and tied it in a simple ponytail before finishing with Redken 12 Fashion Work Hairspray. “It’s a little bit broken, not too stiff,” Gray explained.

Sarah Lucero for Stila explained that when it came to makeup, the look was a glamorous face for real women. She used Stila’s Perfect & Correct Foundation under Stila Sheer Pressed Powder for smooth, flawless skin, and applied Stila Smudge Pot gel eyeliner in black for a dramatic cat eye. Metallic silver liner was added to the bottom lash line to complement accessories in the collection. The real focus of the look, however, was the bright pink lips. “It’s a major pop of color,” said Lucero. “It screams ‘gutsy.’” Stila Long Wear Liquid Lip in Petal was applied to lips, which were then finished off with Dazzling Sparkle Luxe Lipgloss for a wet feel.

Adding even more edge to the feminine beauty looks was the nail concept of Nonie Creme of Butter London. “I like to call it Jackson Pollock for nails,” she said. To begin, nails were painted black. Creme then applied false nails, which she pulled away from the bed to expose a half-moon of black. They were then painted in the bright metallic mix of Diamond Geezer, a shade currently in the line, and a holographic mix custom-made for Betsey.